Q We are going to Stockholm early in the new year. Can we stay on an island outside the city, or do you have any suggestions of somewhere closer – a nice wintry hotel with a terrace and a fire?

Eunice Small, Beckenham

A The perfect winter lodging for you is the J Sealodge Gashaga (00 46 8 601 3400, www.hotelj.com). It’s a stunning hotel, styled on a New England beach house, with a contemporary nautical theme: crisp white furnishings, great views over the water and a roaring fire in the swanky lounge area. It’s a 15-minute drive from the city, about 30 minutes by train or a bit longer by ferry. The waterside setting is peaceful, all 13 rooms have balconies and there’s an excellent restaurant. Doubles start at £97, B&B.

For an island hideaway, your best option is 30 miles east of Stockholm – Sandhamn. The Royal Swedish Yacht Club was founded here more than a century ago, and it still plays host to a big annual regatta. The Seglarhotellet (www.sandhamn.com) hotel has smartly decorated rooms and a fine restaurant, and there’s an old village if you fancy a stroll. Elsewhere on the island, it’s mainly pine forest, which gives it a terrific remote feel. Doubles start at £142, B&B.

Q We’ve never skied before, and want to give it a go this winter, maybe in France or Switzerland. We have two boys, aged five and eight – are they too young and, if not, where should we go?

Jean and Mike Simmons, Salisbury

A In skiing terms, your boys are far from young. French children hit the slopes at about three, so your children are virtually over the mogul.

As for where to go, that depends on when you go. Over February half-term, when snow conditions are likely to be good, a small resort such as Ste Foy Tarentaise is a belter for beginners, with lift passes cheaper and queues far smaller than they’d be not far up the valley in Val d’Isère or Tignes. With a handful of lifts and just 20-odd miles of pistes, it would frustrate even an intermediate skier, but, as a beginner, why pay a premium for endless runs (and queues) when you’ll be snowploughing down the same two or three slopes all week?

The Luxury chalet operator Venture Ski (0870 242 4881, www.ventureski.co.uk) has a week in February half-term for £1,238pp (£928 for under13s, under-2s free), including breakfast, tea, dinner and wine.

By Easter, however, when lowlying nursery slopes are particularly vulnerable to late-season warmth, it pays to go somewhere high. At 6,500ft, Reberty, in the Trois Vallées, is good. Family Ski (01684 540333, www.familyski.co.uk) has a week in a shared chalet sleeping 20 for £729pp (£605 for under13s), including breakfast, tea and dinner.

You should also consider Saas-Fee, a resort at 6,000ft in Switzerland, where Esprit (01252 618300, www.esprit-holidays.co.uk) has a week in a chalet-hotel from £879pp, half-board, including flights and transfers. Various child discounts are available.

Q I am looking to visit Angola. Is there a company in the UK that could help me? And is personal safety still an issue?

Mark Jennings, Nottingham

A Angola is not just off the beaten track, it’s off nearly every track – for now, just a handful of tourists venture there each year. It’s going to be a while before the legacy of its four decades of civil war is shaken off, but things are improving; and it has great beaches and wildlife parks, along with spectacular scenery.

Jim Louth, managing director of Undiscovered Destinations (0191 296 2674, www.undiscovered-destinations.com), says: “Angola is largely a safe country for the informed traveller. Only three provinces are subject to a Foreign Office travel warning, and the remote region bordering Namibia (which is a popular tourist area) was largely unaffected by the conflict. Landmines remain a problem, particularly in the east of the country, but this is well away from tour areas.”

Next February, the company is taking a group of between 6 and 12 people on its 17-day Southern Explorer trip. Much of it is off-road (because there isn’t one), and there will be plenty of opportunities to meet the tribal people. Other highlights include the 4,300ft Tunda-Vale volcanic fissure and a crossing of the mountainous Lebba Pass. Prices start at £3,250pp, including flights to Lubango via Windhoek, hotels and camping, most meals, guide and transport.